Memories of Blackburn
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Blackburn, Nurses' Home 1899
Ref: 43480
I started my SRN training in 1973. In those days the Nurses' Home still exsisted but the view was obscured by the more recent additional buildings to the Infirmary, which included the Education Centre. However the Home was still well used. Some nurses still 'lived in' in this building but we all used the building too. We all had lockers in a room in the basement there. When we went on duty we kept our gaberdines and bags in our lockers where we also stored our clean uniform. We had to wear clean uniforms every day so dirty laundry was put into laundry bags, also kept in the locker and sent off to the laundry on our given laundry day. When we worked on night duty, which was quite often then, we had to congregate in the Sitting Room and be told which ward we were to work on. In the main corridor down near our locker room there were information boards where we found the 'Change Lists'. These lists told us when we were to change to another ward. We usually worked for about eight weeks on a ward then would move to a different ward and specialty to gain new experience. Also our 'Block' exam results were posted here too. No secrets!
To enter the building you could either use its main front door or go through one of the infirmary corridors. I usually went through the main door as it was an additional walk to go through the A&E entrance and round the infirmary corridors. One day the heavens opened shortly after I had left home to walk to work. There was nowhere to shelter so I just walked as quickly as I could. On reaching the small driveway to the main doors a porter told me that I couldn't use that entrance as there was a huge puddle infront of the doors. I ignored him and waded through it. I was already soaked and couldn't have got any wetter than I already was. He must have thought I was crackers. I was so wet that even my dress under the gaberdine was soaked. When I put my apron on it stuck to the wet dress. When I arrived on 'my' ward I was sent to the sewing room for another dress and apron. I was also lent a pair of shoes by someone but they were two sizes too big! All in a day's work as they say!
Sadly the Nurse's Home was demolished way back in early 1980 to make way for the then new A&E department. Even sadder is that the whole Infirmary complex has recently been demolished.
Shared on 13 March 2009
Blackburn, Church Street c1955
Ref: B111044
This photo is as I remember Church St when I was a little girl. I had three younger brothers and when Mother took us to town she often went into Woolworths. We were told that if we became lost we had to find the weighing machine. It was huge and stood near the doors. She said that if we waited there she would find us. I don't remember any of us ever getting lost in the store. We also were taken to the toilets facing Woolworths doors, which can also be seen in this photo. It was always fascinating having to go down below ground level to the toilets. It is so sad that it is all in the past now.
Shared on 13 March 2009
Blackburn, Infirmary 1894
Ref: 34316
My first memory of the Infirmary is when I was four years old. I had my tonsils and adenoids removed because I was very, very deaf. After the operation I could hear but it would be many years before I learned that I only had hearing in one ear. When I was six I had another operation to remove a tumour from my neck. It was a long procedure and I was an in-patient for six weeks. I had my seventh birthday while I was there! At that time the 'New Wing' had not been built and we children used to play outside. There was a large grass slope which we used to roll down and have great fun. At the age of nine I fell over and broke my leg requiring a plaster cast for six weeks. I refused to walk with it and my mother shortened the long brush to make me a crutch - no wonder she had a bad back having to use this shorter brush to sweep up!
When I grew up I trained to be a State Registered Nurse. Most of my training was at the Infirmary although it was then the Blackburn District Training School and some of the training involved other local hospitals. I continued my career by becoming a State Certified Midwife - training at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn - and also going to Manchester to complete a training course to be a Registered Sick Children's Nurse. I have spent many happy years in the Nursing profession and am now working only a few hours a week in my retirement. Incidentally I was one of the first NHS babies being born on July 7th 1948
Shared on 18 January 2009
Blackburn, the Cathedral c1955
Ref: B111041
When I was a pupil at 'Blackburn High School for Girls' we used to go to Blackburn Cathedral for the morning sevice on Speech Day. In those days the Cathedral was dark and dismal with masses of dark wood and lots of box pews. I particularly remember walking over what I believed were graves - scary to an eleven year old! We always sang the hymn 'Now Thank We All Our God' and I always associate that hymn with the Cathedral. The modernised, light and airy Cathedral is a joy to visit and bears no resemblance to the Cathedral of my schooldays. I was so delighted to find your photos of the 'old' Cathedral's interior looking more like my memories to show to my children.
Shared on 18 January 2009
Childhood memories in Blackburn
My first school was St Michaels and All Angels in Whalley New Road. We all had to have our gas masks over our shoulders and hang them up on our own little peg. I can remember we all had school dinners, I don't think we paid, we had no money. Also all the very young children had a sleep for a couple of hours in canvas beds so we had to creep around. My father Harold buck and his friend Edmund kept pigs, so they came after dinner to collect the food that was left over to feed the pigs, they called it pig swill. I used to hide when they came. There was a wall at the bottom of the playground with a big drop on the other side down into the brook(Blackwater), we would climb down sometimes, cross the brook and go up the other side to the Tizer where soft drinks were made. Also on the same land was a big lake we called Granny Green Teeth, it was bluey green in colour. We also went through the tunnel under the Tizer and came out at the paper mill and then on to Boyle Street, we had to climb over big wood type sleepers to get out of the brook. Just near the paper mill on Freme Street was a builders yard, we called it the vinegar yard. We would climb over the wall, about ten of us. Inside was a cement mixer, we would climb in the mixer bowl one at a time and see who could stand the most turns. I remember I won, but I can't remember how many I did.
In the summer holidays we used to have our own olympic games on Boyle Street. We had found some tiles with a torch on blue and white so we had all sorts of games - running, high jump, long jump etc. Also about this time the American Army were billeted on the other side of the brook, they used to throw chewing gum and cigs out of the windows. One night I got a right telling off for going home late, I had been trying to get some fags to take home to my dad from the yanks. When the yanks were being marched through the streets all the woman would shout at the sergeant to stop shouting at the men.
We lived on Whalley Range, 145, just near Calder Street. My dad had an allotment at the top of Calder Street, he grew all sorts of vegetables. He would get a sack of seed potatoes to plant and they would be in the house till planting time, but by the time came it would be half empty they would have been used up. Across the road from were we lived there was some shops, one was Rices. I had to take the battery from the wireless to be charged and borrow another till it was done. Also a bakers called Bleasdales where when things were getting better I was sent for 24 hot cross buns, they were lovely, all shiny tops. On Saturday my dad, or fa as we would call him, worked. He worked at Richmond Hill paper mill. Ma would make him a spud pie in a basin so I had to take it for his dinner. Ma would say "ask him for a bob"(shilling). When I was there I would have a great time in all the bales of paper, it was all scrap paper, sometimes I would find comics and books. Sometimes fa would bring home wallpaper that had a light flaw in it (rejects from a wallpaper makers in town). We trimmed the edges but it turned out very nice. Sometimes on Saturday I went with a mate of mine, Fred Crudge, to get coke from the coke work on Harwood Street. We had to cart it all the way back on a barrow. Fred was a refugee from London, we still meet up now and again. We all went to Bangor Street School, Fred, Bill Walsh, Roy Ludden and many more. Later on when in our teens we went the rounds of the dance halls, KENSITAS, FRED SKINNERS, JOE MORTS, ACCRINGTON, ACCCY CON where I met my wife, this was in the sixtys.
I had two sisters, Jean and Maureen. When we were young we would go with our mates to the China Woods up near Wilpture where the road and lanes had names like Paris and the Isle of Man. We took a bottle of water and a few sarnies and spent the day larking about. Bill Walsh's dad was a coalman, he had a lovely great horse that pulled his cart. When he brought our coal he would shout "coaly", come down the backyard and dump six bags under the stairs next to the kitchen. Talking about stairs, when the Germans were over on a air raid we would all go in Mrs Dandy's next door but one and sit under the stairs till we got the all clear, but I don't know what good it would have been.
Some of my happiest times were at Bangor Street School where Tommy Fairclough would stand at the top of the stairs first thing in the morning tapping with his cane on a cupboard as we came in, keeping a eye on the cane. I also remember Miss Duckworth who we called ma duck, and Mr Crompton who had a real good hand with a slipper.
One of my favorite places was Ribchester. All the family would go and then walk on to Sailwheel Woods. Fa would lead the way and if a car was coming he would shout "Tuck in!". When we got there we would have a picnic and swim or paddle then walk back to Ribchester and have an ice cream before we got the bus home. Another place we went was Corporation Park. At the top was a stone building we called the tank which we would climb up.
Oh happy days, love to all.
Bye.
Bill Buck.
Shared on 22 February 2008
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